Visitors bureau to honor ex-Sinclair official, Jazz

Kenneth Y. Knight, former vice chairman of the board for Sinclair Oil Co., and the entire Utah Jazz organization, will be honored Tuesday evening in the Salt Palace Convention Center by the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau during its annual meeting.

Knight will receive the bureau's first Lifetime Achievement Award and the Jazz organization will receive the Tourism Achievement Award.Regarding Knight, Rick Davis, bureau president, said, "His community stature and excellent relationship with the Legislature, Salt Lake County Commission, the Salt Lake City mayor and City Council render him a powerful flag-bearer for our industry."

Davis said Knight is a powerful coalition builder and helped obtain support for expansion of the Salt Palace. "Ken's strong focus on the bureau's marketing efforts helped ensure that the new facility would pay for itself many times over," Davis said.

Accepting the Utah Jazz award will be general manager Tim Howells since the team will be playing a road game. Davis said the Jazz belong to Utah and the organization has a huge impact on the area.

Everywhere Davis goes people don't know much about Utah or Salt Lake City, but they know about the Jazz. Media coverage of the Jazz games has put Utah on the global map and the tourism industry is the grateful beneficiary, Davis said.

Nominated to be new members of the executive committee are Gary DeSeelhorst, owner of Solitude Ski Resort; Ezekial R. Dumke III, Western States Management Corp.; Richard H. Madsen, president of ZCMI; and Andrea Wolcott, Salt Lake City Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

Nominated to serve another term on the executive committee are Rep. Afton Bradshaw, R-Salt Lake; Boyd Christensen, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Steve Hart, Marriott Guest Services; Wm. James Mortimer, Deseret News publisher; and Bill Vriens Jr., Modern Display.

During the meeting, Davis is scheduled to review the bureau's 1997 accomplishments which include:

- People attending conventions and taking group tours spent $227 million and of that $23 million went to state, county and local governments in taxes.

- Booked $154 million in new convention and tour group business for the future.